Uncle Harvey

Last night, we lost a great man.  My Uncle Harvey passed away.  He was a great man.  His type is a dying breed, I'm afraid.  He was a great uncle and a great example to me.  We are saddened by his death.

Uncle Harvey was my oldest uncle.  He married my dad's older sister.  She was very young when they married, so all of their children, my cousins, were much older than we were.  Uncle Harvey worked for my grandfather.  He was a farmer.  Other than Sundays, I only remember him in a long sleeved shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots.

  By the time my brother, Tom was 8 or 9, Harvey's son was no longer living at home.  Uncle Harvey became the "fun uncle" for my brother and two cousins, Ryan and Shawn.  Harvey would take them camping and fishing.  This was a boys dream come true!  (Our family of mostly girls was not so keen on camping - shocking, I know.)  Tom couldn't wait to go somewhere with Uncle Harvey.  He spoiled the boys frequently. 

When my brother, Tom would stop at the local gas station with  my dad, Tom was rarely allowed to get a treat (we didn't get much candy or soda growing up).  My dad was informed by the people who work there that when Harvey was with Tom and the other boys, this was not the case.  They were always allowed a treat of some sort.  Harvey loved his boys and always took care of them when they were with him.

I remember one year, after graduating from high school, my grandparents took the whole family to Disney World.  It was so much fun to see Uncle Harvey with his boys again.  I remember the shock on every one's face when we saw him in a short sleeved shirt.  We all laughed at his tan line - which started at his wrists! (I also remember a trip to Hawaii we all took and Uncle Harvey burned the tops of his feet badly.  It was painful for him to walk.  His body rarely saw the sun.)  The boys had the best time taking Harvey around to all the big rides.  They talked about his reaction to the drop on Splash Mountain for days.  I believe a swear came out of his mouth.  They loved it and I am sure he loved it also.

Harvey was respected by many people in our community.  In fact, when Denver first introduced me to his grandpa, Grandpa Hansen, I gained acceptance from him because of my grandfather and especially because of Harvey.  Grandpa Hansen knew of Grandpa Hunter, but he was friends with Harvey.  They both respected each other.  They were a lot alike.

Not too long ago, Uncle Harvey's son, John, died.  There were some questions surrounding his death and many suspected his ex-wife to be involved somehow.  Rather than being angry with the ex-wife, Uncle Harvey embraced her and told her that he had no hard feelings toward her.  I thought it was a great example.  He was a great man and will be missed.